Kelvin Ka Long Lee (MM ’19, AD ’22) has won the audition for Section Cello in the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. One of Hong Kong’s flagship orchestras, the HKS is currently led by Music Director Christoph Poppen. It is Venue Partner of the Hong Kong City Hall since 2009, performing year-round with about 100 performances a season, collaborating with an illustrious array of international musicians and groups, including in recent years Nicolas Altstaedt, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Vilde Frang, Ilya Gringolts, Martin Helmchen, James MacMillan, Sergei Nakariakov, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Fazıl Say, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, The Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. A regular participant at all the major festivals in Hong Kong including the Hong Kong Arts Festival and French May Arts Festival, the orchestra also partners regularly with Hong Kong Ballet in their staged productions.
Congratulations, Kelvin, and Hook ’em Horns!
This past Friday, in Hogg Auditorium, the ATX Cello Quartet—with Kuan Yu Huang (DMA ’29), Benedict Ventura (BM ’30), Tristan Ramon (BA ’29) and Connor Torres (BM ’30)—won the Cristi Biggs Memorial Award for Technical Excellence at the 2026 Texas Revue, the oldest and largest student-run talent show and variety showcase at the University of Texas at Austin, with a tradition spanning over 100 years after being first hosted in 1920.
Return engagemnt! Next Sunday, in the afternoon of October 18th, 2026, at 4:00 PM, Wesley Xinke Fu (MM ’26) performs Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major, Hob. VIIb/2, with conductor Robert Radmer and the Balcones Community Orchestra at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.
Tsz To Wong (DMA ’25) has been appointed to a Section Cello position with the Harmonium of Texas in its inaugural season. Founded in 2026, Harmonium embraces a transformative approach to music education and community partnerships while building a financially sustainable artistic institution that inspires audiences, empowers musicians, and connects Texans of all ages to the richness and joy of great music. Under the artistic leadership of Jeffrey Kahane, Harmonium collaborates with leading artists and community partners to create exceptional musical experiences that celebrate artistry, education, and innovation.
Tsz To Wong (DMA ’25) has been appointed as Adjunct Professor of Low Strings at Texas A&M University–Kingsville, the southernmost campus of the Texas A&M University system and the oldest continuously operating public institution of higher learning in South Texas. The School of Music at Texas A&M University–Kingsville is a member of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) and the Texas Association of Music Schools (TAMS) and is an institutionally accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).
Earlier today, Yeyoung Yoo (DMA ’24) won the Section Cello audition with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Founded in 1911, the ASO is the oldest performing arts organization in Austin, TX. Yeyoung joins the ASO in conductor Peter Bay’s 30th and final season as Music Director of the ensemble.
Next weekend, on Saturday, August 15 Cory Blais.(MM ’19) appears with Austin Camerata at The Cathedra in “Noir: Strings at The Gallery.” Choose from three sessions, at 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM, as “Noir: String Sessions at the Gallery” brings a string quartet and vocalist Naala into The Cathedral for a one-hour performance that moves between classical and contemporary music. Debussy, Nina Simone, Moon River, Billie Eilish, and Chappell Roan are woven together through lush strings, vocals, and a darker edge. Framed by the art surrounding them, the performers don’t just play the room—they haunt it.
Wesley Xinke Fu (MM ’26) has been accepted into the fellowship program of the San Francisco Academy Orchestra, a professional training orchestra dedicated to preparing emerging musicians for orchestral careers. Founded in 2000 and led by Music Director Andrei Gorbatenko, the Academy is distinguished by its “side-by-side” training model, in which developing professionals rehearse and perform alongside members of the San Francisco Symphony. Its intensive Artist Diploma in Orchestral Studies emphasizes the practical skills required for success in professional orchestral auditions through private instruction, orchestral excerpt classes, master classes, mock auditions, and public performances. Academy fellows have gone on to win positions with major ensembles including the San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Opera, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and numerous other orchestras in the United States and abroad.
Watch
Kuan Yu Huang (DMA ’29) competes in the 2026 edition of the Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Brussels, Belgium. Candidates were chosen from a total of 185 applicants between the ages of eighteen and thirty. The public rounds begin today with each competitor performing a sonata by Luigi Boccherini, a selection from Nikolai Roslavets’ Meditation, Josef Suk’s Ballade, Op. 3, Nadia Boulanger’s 3 Pièces, and Kaija Saariaho’s Lullaby. Follow along the competition at 
